Confession
by digitaldreams11
Summary: Shortly after the horrors of the Crystal Cave, Rozen is back in action and coming in hot! Catch up on this latest story as our heroine races across a battlefield to confront a shadowy menace!


Rozen huddled in the hole of dirt that was far too reminiscent of a shallow grave. Concussive explosions seized her lunges and threw debris into her face. The duracrete barrier in front of her was one of the many reasons she was still alive, for the moment. But she knew that she would have to move out of this tiny haven of safety soon. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, Rozen could make out the mangled remains of a Force Adept, a young woman with short brown hair and features somewhat familiar to her. She didn't have time to ponder, however. She could hear the heavy booted footsteps flanking her position through the Force, and ahead of her glowed the outline of a being wielding a vast amount of the Force within the compound just a few hundred yards ahead. That was the mission, and the reason for this horrible devastation. This being had to die.

As Rozen leapt over the barrier, she used the Force to shield against blaster fire and mortar debris. Her focus was absorbed the monumental task before her. A figure melded out of thin air just a few yards behind her, unseen. It stood with arm folded within long grey robes, and watched Rozen's progress with keen interest, and deep remorse.

Stinging beads of sweat rolled up Nara's back. They traced a crazy path of moisture around a lattice of scars; some long and thin, some small and circular. Her dark leather boots creaked and they swayed over the top of the bar they were hooked over, the tan canvas trousers she wore neatly tucked into the tops. The exertions of the inverted sit-ups were causing the sweltering meditation cell to be almost unbearable. But Nara was strong. As she inhaled, she pulled the heat deep within herself, and accepted it within the Force. Tendrils of cold energy undulated from her core, and in a few moments the cell became icy cold.

With a graceful twist, Nara unhooked from the bar that was mounted on the arch's jamb that lead to her cell's toilet. Within arm's reach on either side was a wall, and a few strides in front of her was her sleep couch mounted in the wall over a set of drawers. Starship transports had larger crew cabins, but Nara found comfort in this tiny enclosed sanctuary. Space was vast enough, and from the perspective of the Force, this small cell was a universe unto itself.

After tugging on a light tunic Nara twisted her hair and bound it behind her leather mask, belted her sash and hooked on her lightsaber. It was time for a light jog around the Enclave. The air was heavy and humid. She had been here for several weeks, but had not yet grown accustomed to the thick, oxygen rich air. Deliberately slowing her breathing during exercise was unsettling at first, and there were some concerns about long-term effects. For the meantime, she was just happy that she had found a safe place to hone her abilities.

Nara had been a dedicated and respected soldier on her homeworld of Alpheridies in the Abron system. Her work had been security for the most part. The orbital station Anetheron had been her home for many years as it supplemented Alpheridies' economic and political position within the Republic. As with the rest of her species, the Miraluka, her connection to the Force was strong, and she had often used her gifts in the line of duty. Official training had never even been a consideration. Nara never felt the call to that monastic lifestyle, riddled with regulations and limitations. Until Shinobi had found her, that is. He was not like any other Jedi she had met. Through him, she had learned that some traditions believed strength must be nurtured into power, so that the natural course of evolution is not hindered or halted. The Living Force had its own plan, and should be respected. It was up to Force wielders like her to keep things in motion. Sometimes it would mean protecting. Sometimes it would mean confronting. On rare occasions, it would mean killing. Nara was unconcerned with the means. So long as it left the Living Force stronger than it was, the ends were justified.

Rozen dashed through a clearing, some kind of trailhead, and rolled under a wooden fence. Ahead of her was an athletics field, pockmarked with small craters. In the center stood a massive slab of obsidian, its surface raised in razor sharp waves. Most of the cavities were filled with dried blood. With a fierce blast of the Force, Rozen punched a fracture through the center that caused the entire slab to shatter. Such things should not exist in this universe, she thought with dismay.

It had been a very long and trying day for Nara. The distant stars of faraway systems were beginning to emerge within this planet's colossal sky, and the sun was glinting off the Obsidian Forge like a beacon in the twilight. Her brothers within the Force, Dimboij and Pe'ell, stood opposite the granite slab in their trousers. All three were Miraluka who had found their way to this sanctuary. All three were powerful within the Force, body and mind. All were also uncomfortably barefoot. Shinobii stood at one end, and gestured to Dimboij.

"All things exist within their own natural balance." started Shinobi. "Your mind is a self-writing program. Overcome your base instincts, your fundamental expectations of action and reaction, and your personal desires. Live in balance with the living Force, and you will begin to uncover the Truth."

Dimboij leapt onto the rock, balancing gracefully on the razor's edge. His awareness from within the Force allowed him to cross to the other side of the rock, a gentle cushion of air keeping his feet from being cut to ribbons.

"Truth is the present state of all things, living and inert, active and passive. Let go of the divisions within your mind, and be present in this moment." Continued Shinobi. Pe'ell hopped onto the rock with a graceful twist, sauntering lazily across the stone and rolled off with lithe boredom.

"Nara, I want you to stay here tonight and meditate on your failure. Your greatest mistake is that you DO NOT know the future. Your perception defines your reality. Separations cause conflict. It is only by realigning your thoughts that you can change your perception. Remember, your perception defines your reality."

Shinobi walked off with Dimboij and Pe'ell, leaving Nara to sit on the earth and meditate. Long hours passed through the night, the clear sky and cool wind her only company. She understood the message on a fundamental level, that her expectation of pain resulted in pain. But how to grasp it at the level of the Force? A voice whispered behind her:

"The more change, challenge, and adversity you can present a person with, the stronger they can grow to be. The more complex the adversity, the greater the complexity of the reply."

A powerful arm slid around Nara's waist.

"In all things that we accomplish in this life, we must realize that these are merely reactions to a previous event." Pe'ell said as he gently lifted Nara and rested one bare foot on the surface of the Obsidian Forge. "It is by creating an action not based on any previous event that movement is caused." He murmured.

Nara began to panic. She had never been allowed onto the Forge, and it seemed like a violation of Shinobi's instruction and trust. A defiance welled up in her, and she focused herself into the Force. She seemed to stand between the physical world, and the world of the living Force.

Gently, she whispered up into Pe'ell's ear, "It is only through this movement that true evolution can begin." With a powerful step, full of confidence, Nara stepped up onto the stone. Releasing her lover's hand, she walked on the stone, between the worlds, and completely at one with the living Force. Pe'ell joined Nara on the razor edge, and his hands slid up her arms and encircled her wrists, arms raised towards the stars.

The grand entrance of the Citadel lay shattered and ruined. Graceful arches halted abruptly, destroyed by the battle that consumed this region. Blaster fire and lightsaber scorches marred the soft grey steel. Bodies of Jedi and other various Force adepts littered the ground, mingled with Mandalorian mercenaries. Rozen's stomach churned, but her footsteps continued with fierce determination. The glowing being in the Force was much closer now, and the battle had momentarily moved elsewhere. She was able to enter the building unimpeded.

"Absolutely unacceptable." Intoned the Master in white robes.

"They knew the risks, and had willingly undertaken them." Said Shinobi.

"You have failed them in every way possible. One of them is dead because of you and your reckless philosophy." Uttered the Master in grey robes.

"Then they served the Force to their utmost capacity, which is more than I can say for this council." Shinobi shot back with barely-restrained venom.

"They were unparalleled warriors with great potential. We know what you were molding them to be. Look at them now, as broken and worthless as the ideals you taught them. It would have been better to let them Fall, then to allow them to endure your training." Blasted the Master in black robes.

Shinobi said nothing as he boarded the small transport ship that would carry him to exile. Behind them, Nara was clawing her way past the other students, fighting her way to Shinobi. Hot tears burned her face as she clawed, pushed, and kicked her way past the assembled guards. But the ship was already beginning to lift off, and Nara could do nothing but stare numbly at the window of the swiftly disappearing ship.

Rozen prowled the halls with soft steps. The meditation cells were long-abandoned and covered with dust. Ahead lay a grand hall, its marble pillars stained red with rust and old blood. Doors of intricately carved wood hung on loose or missing hinges. The air was old and stale. Behind her, a figure in grey robes followed in complete silence, and left no footprints in the dust.

Within the center of the grand hall was a human completely enveloped in the Force. It was reaching out to the little tendrils that were the cause and effect of the living Force, the very connection that united all living things. With a touch as fierce as a lover's kiss, the tendril bit into Rozen's connection to the Force. Memories appeared before her, emanating as real as the day they happened. The horror of the corrupted crystal cavern. The joy of taking her apprentices. Training dutifully under Master Octagon. Back and farther back they went, replaying her life in brutal honesty.

"You are here to stop me. You limit yourself in the attempt. Do you feel it?" Cracked the voice from within the Force. "This is what I was made to do. This is how I will change the Universe! Don't you see? The more complex the adversity, the greater complexity of the reply! This will challenge us all to be stronger. The wise will know to shape their suffering! We will grow again, you will see!"

Nara packed her small bag with slow and deliberate care. Her hair was uncharacteristically loose, falling to her waist. It had been several years since Shinobi had left, and she had trained under several wise masters since then. But twice she had attempted her trials, and twice she had failed. She could no longer stay. Like Shinobi, she was being cast out. What she was expected to do with her life from here was up to her, but it would not be without scrutiny.

She stood for a moment in front of the small mirror at her meditation cell. With deliberate care, she pulled out a small utility knife from her belt, and grabbed a hank of her long hair. Hair that Pe'ell had loved to run his long fingers through. Hair that had been witness to horror and failure. She cut the hanks off in long strokes, letting them fall to the floor. As Nara walked away, she vowed to leave behind the pain of this place forever.

Rozen accepted the mirages for what they were, breathed in the Force, and stepped softly on the ground. The apparitions melted away as she stood on the razor edge between worlds.

"… Nara?" the voice within the Force spoke.

The being before Shinobi was unlike anything he had seen. It was wrapped within the Force like a Jedi, yet also seemed to be an emanation of it. Where most living things were connected to the Force with a small tendril, this being was a pure expression of the Force. There was no distinction of identity, only a familiarity of form.

It was no longer Rozen's world. In the moment it took for her to realize her old friend before her, she had given in to the Force. This was entirely her responsibility to be here, in this moment, facing this challenge. She accepted that authority, and knew in that moment what had to be done. She placed her hands on the shoulders of the man called Shinobi, the man who had both shaped and destroyed a part of her life, and she forgave him.

The Force slipped away from Shinobi's form, and his body fell to the ground with a thud. Rozen turned to leave the building and inform the field command that the threat had been neutralized. As she left the room, the silent figure in grey robes stood over the crumpled form of the fallen Jedi. Long fingers shot out from the ethereal robe and clasped the shoulder. The body of Shinobi waved in the air, and then disappeared.

"She really did it. She discovered true Movement." The voice spoke softly into the empty room. In short order that being also disappeared, leaving the room empty and serene.


End file.
